This year marks 20 years since GoPro was founded and 18 years since the introduction of the first model, the Hero, which was so well designed, it transformed and popularised the point-of-view action camera industry. Just in time for the Festive Season, there’s now a GoPro HERO11 Black and HERO11 Mini. Here’s what you need to know…
Paid partnership with GoPro South Africa
Look, the GoPro HERO11 Black is one incredible camera! We have been testing one recently and have been simply blown away by the impressive visual and audio quality as well as the various modes that allow you capture on video, or photo, your riding experiences better than any other POV camera.
What’s new with the HERO11 Black?
- A new sensor that expands the field of view to zoom in, crop your shots, change digital lenses and adjust aspect ratios
- HyperSmooth 5.0 stabilisation, which has been improved over the HERO10. It features Horizon Lock for improved stabilisation at a 4:3 aspect ratio, and AutoBoost provides maximum stabilisation with minimal image cropping.
- Image size – from the HERO10’s 23 MegaPixels, the HERO11 Black delivers 27 MegaPixel still photos.
- Option to choose between capturing 8-bit or 10-bit colour for your videos.
What other great features does it have?
- The video features are more or less the same as in the HERO10: 5.3K video, and 2.7K video at a 240-frame rate for slo-mo.
- Comes with Wi-Fi connectivity so you can automatically upload your footage to the cloud.
- Is waterproof down to 10 metres on its own and features a water-repelling lens cover to eliminate lens flare.
Not content to dominate with the launch of the new HERO11 Black, GoPro has also launched the GoPro HERO11 Black Mini. As you would expect, it’s a smaller version of the HERO11 Black, which makes it one of the most advanced pieces of image-capture technology there is.
Why is it mini? Well, for starters, it’s lighter and smaller the HERO11 Black – more square than rectangular in shape. What you don’t get on the HERO11 Black Mini is the touchscreen that comes on its sibling. In order to choose or change settings, you do so on your Smart Phone using the GoPro app. But you get pretty much everything else. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of each.
GoPro HERO11 Black
SIZE: 71.8mm wide x 33.6mm deep x 50.8mm tall
WEIGHT: 153g
MAIN FEATURES: Shutter button on top, speaker and folding fingers on the bottom, Mode button and drain microphone on one side and battery, USC- and SD card slots on the other side. There are two colour displays – a touchscreen on the back and a smaller 1.4-inch LCD display on the front with live preview. There’s also a water repellent lens cover and the camera is waterproof to 10 metres. It’s compatible with over 40 mounts and accessories.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES: HyperSmooth 5.0 video stabilisation with built-in Horizon Lock, Hindsight to capture the 30 seconds before you hit record, and three new night modes for time lapses: Star Trails, Light Painting and Vehicle Light Trails.
VIDEO QUALITY: New 8:7 sensor is capable of capturing 5.3K resolution video at 60fps; or 4K at 120fps, with support for more than 1 billion colours with 10-bit colour. The larger sensor has a wide 8:7 aspect ratio that can be delivered as a wide-angle 16:9 shot, perfect for cropping for content creation.
SLO-MO: Record up to 8X slo-mo at 2.7K
PHOTO: 27-MegaPixel SuperPhoto HDR stills
The GoPro HERO11 Black Mini
SIZE: 52.4mm wide x 38mm deep x 51.2mm tall
MAIN FEATURES: One-button simplicity to record (no touchscreen or Mode button), but identical video performance and 24.7-MegaPixel screen grabs. Second pair of dual mounting fingers on the rear.
There’s also a water repellent lens cover and the camera is waterproof to 10 metres. It’s compatible with over 40 mounts and accessories.
There’s a Festive Season special on GoPro currently running until 31 December 2022 at all South African GoPro retailers. Treat yourself or drop hints to your significant other. For more information on the new GoPro HERO11 Black and HERO11 Black Mini, follow GoPro South Africa on Facebook here and on Instagram here.
